Ryan Singel reports: A fast-growing FBI data-mining system billed as a tool for hunting terrorists is being used in hacker and domestic criminal investigations, and now contains tens of thousands of records from private corporate databases, including car-rental companies, large hotel chains and at least one national department store, declassified documents obtained by Wired.com show….
Obama to Set Higher Bar For Keeping State Secrets (update 2)
Carrie Johnson reports: The Obama administration will announce a new policy Wednesday making it much more difficult for the government to claim that it is protecting state secrets when it hides details of sensitive national security strategies such as rendition and warrantless eavesdropping, according to two senior Justice Department officials. The new policy requires agencies,…
Google Book Search: Motion to Adjourn the Fairness Hearing
From The Laboratorium: The author and publisher plaintiffs filed a motion to adjourn the fairness hearing, together with a short supporting memorandum. Google does not oppose the motion. The executive summary: The parties are renegotiating the settlement (with each other and the DOJ). The issues are too complex to present a revised settlement by October…
Boston Globe’s Mass Mailer Faces Class Action
Sean Kelly reports: The Boston Globe’s junk mail division bought drivers’ personal information from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, an unhappy ad recipient says in a federal class action. The man claims that Globe Direct, the direct mail unit of Boston Globe Media, violated the Drivers Privacy Protection Act. […] Downing’s complaint does not…